The Big 12 survived a near-death experience last summer, but here we are again, with Texas A&M clutching its chest like Fred Sanford calling to Elizabeth:

"SEC … I'm coming to join you honey."

No A&M official will admit on the record that it is only considering playing the Southeastern Conference card as part of its strategy to combat the Texas Longhorns' genius (and lucrative) move of forming its own television network.

But with fear-mongering Aggies running rampant claiming the Longhorn Network is the scale-changer that will ruin Aggie lives forevermore, A&M brass must respond. (Even if your fan base is irrational, it is your fan base.)

The last time A&M waved the SEC card around, it more than doubled its television guarantee from the Big 12 to $20 million. That's smart business.

Continuing to use that card to get its way could be dangerous because one day somebody might call the bluff.

Aggies live off a regular diet of an embarrassing inferiority complex and an irrational superiority complex.

SEC commissioner Mike Slive said recently that the league isn't looking to expand, but it could pick up interested suitors in 15 minutes if it so desired. To which some Aggies are saying, "pick us, please, pick us," while others brag this is the Aggies' call to make.

There is little doubt that A&M to the SEC would be good for the SEC. There is much doubt about how good it would be for A&M. This is all about football, and A&M is a long way from being able to compete with SEC football powers.

Young fans want out

A&M athletic director Bill Byrne has told the Aggie faithful that a move to the SEC wouldn't be smart.

Some, mostly young whippersnappers who spend the majority of their waking hours online (splitting time evenly among Aggies fans sites, video games and social networks ), aren't listening.

The desire to get out from under UT's shadow is a real issue at A&M. And it has been for, oh, about 100 years or so.

Moving to the SEC would indeed get the Aggies out from under the Longhorns' shadow … and put them under the rather large shadows of Alabama and LSU, and even Florida.

Is it worth it?

There are enough quality football players in the state of Texas for A&M to always compete with Texas, with or without the Longhorn Network. When A&M isn't on par with or better than Texas on the field, it is because the Aggies aren't doing their job.

The best way to get from under someone's shadow is to knock him down, not run away.

Forget UT's so-called recruiting advantages. There are great players in this state who you couldn't pay to go to Texas. (And speaking of pay to play, wait until you get a taste of the SEC.)

Moving to the SEC wouldn't vault A&M ahead of UT as much as it would open the door for SEC schools to bid for more of the state's top recruits.

You think it is a coincidence lesser Big 12 schools such as Kansas State, Kansas and Missouri have posted record victory totals since the new conference opened the state's borders to them?

Unlike K-State, KU and Mizzou, probable SEC division mates Alabama, LSU and Auburn are already players on the national scene. They would only get stronger with regular visits to Kyle Field.

Not to mention, the Longhorn Network, which launches Aug. 26, isn't likely to have the impact so many paranoid and jealous Aggies seem to think.

TV issues overblown

For one, it is likely the NCAA will forbid university-branded networks from televising high school games. Secondly, nothing is stopping A&M from starting its own network. Had ESPN come to it first, A&M would have leapt at the chance.

So UT has more money than everybody else. That's a new development?

Some of you might recall how upset athletic directors were when Notre Dame signed with NBC to televise its home games 20 years ago. Everyone said that gave the Irish an unfair recruiting advantage.

Amazingly, the world didn't come to an end and Notre Dame didn't win every national championship from that day forward. In fact, it has won exactly zero of them since.

A retired long-time athletic director says schools weren't mad at Notre Dame because of what the Irish did; they were mad because they did it first.

When it comes to the Longhorn Network, the Aggies don't hate the game, they hate the player.

They need to drop the hate before they mess around and get played by the SEC.